


Saying Goodbye

by Eckhart



Category: Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Related, Canon Universe, F/M, One Shot, Post-Canon, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25292671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eckhart/pseuds/Eckhart
Summary: The time for rest has come. Ethan struggles with his final decision to leave the IMF and saying goodbye to his oldest teammate.
Relationships: Ilsa Faust/Ethan Hunt
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	Saying Goodbye

Ethan breathed a sigh as he placed the rest of his luggage in the trunk. He slammed it shut and checked his phone for the time. 4:45 pm. They would have to be on the plane by 6:30. Thankfully, the safe house wasn’t too far away from the airport. The nonstop flight from Prague to London would only take a couple of hours. 

He stuffed his phone in his back pocket and turned to face the early evening sight of the city. In the distance, he could see the elegant arches of the Charles Bridge. Gray clouds began to drift across the sky, indicating that it would rain soon. He narrowed his eyes at the memory of that dreadful night several years ago. The night where everything changed. As beautiful as Prague was, it held too many grim memories. And yet, here he was in the exact same place. Only now at the end of his journey.

“You done?” A voiced asked from behind him. Ethan turned around and was met with Ilsa walking towards him. Her hands were stuffed in her sleek jacket pockets.

“Yeah. Just finished,” he replied. Ilsa nodded and walked over to the car. She leaned against the driver’s side door, indicating that she would drive. They heard the door to the safe house open and seal shut for the last time. Luther approached them with a kind smile.

“Y’know, I never thought I’d see the day where he’d be _willing_ to get outta the game,” he mused. Ethan smiled softly and walked a bit closer to his former teammates.

“At some point I thought he had to be dragged out!” Ilsa joked. They all shared a laugh. Luther shifted his gaze to his old friend, noticing that he still looked tense.

“How ya holdin’ up?” He asked. Ethan shrugged and averted his eyes. 

“I don’t know. Just… weird,” he admitted. Ilsa stayed quiet, gazing at the city in the distance. Luther nodded understandingly.

“It had to happen eventually,” he assured. Ethan shrugged again, his brow creasing. Luther reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s time. You’ve earned it.”

Ethan looked up and met his old friend’s sympathetic, yet firm gaze. As difficult as it was to admit, Luther was right. He had given everything to the IMF and now it was finally time to rest.

“Luther, thank you,” he murmured. Leaning forward, he wrapped his arms around his friend in a bear hug. As they pulled away, Luther held onto Ethan’s arms briefly.

“You’ll be okay,” he whispered. Ethan nodded. Ilsa stood up straight and pulled her hands out of her pockets.

“Goodbye, Luther,” she said quietly. They embraced each other. When they pulled away, he looked at her pointedly.

“Now you make sure you look after him. Don’t let him get into any trouble,” he said. Ilsa chuckled. 

“I will,” she promised. Casting a sly glance at Ethan, her lips curved into a smile.

“He won’t be jumping off any buildings on my watch,” she teased. They all laughed. After a pause, the trio exchanged a silent, understanding look.

“Be careful out there,” Luther told them. Ethan nodded.

“You, too,” he murmured. Luther tipped his signature hat at the both of them and ambled towards the sleek, new Beamer model the IMF provided for him. As he entered the car and turned on the engine, he chuckled to himself. He rolled down the window and said,

“I gotta say, the IMF’s always been a pain in the ass, but when it comes to cars,” he gestured at the side of the vehicle, “That’s one thing they got going for them.”

Ethan and Ilsa chuckled, falling silent as he drove away. Off to remain free for the rest of his life. Surely, they would visit each other. But for now, they just needed their time off. One day, they would meet again. Ethan would make sure of it. Ilsa touched his arm, breaking him out of his reverie.

“You ready to go?” She asked softly. He looked towards the city, noticing that the clouds were beginning to darken.

“As I’ll ever be.”

They got into their car and drove off. Ethan folded his arms, feeling a bit cold despite the heat being on. He looked in the side mirror, watching the safe house fade away in the distance. Within ten minutes, they entered the city and it began to drizzle. Ilsa’s fingers drummed against the wheel as she stopped at a red light. She glanced at Ethan, who was watching the raindrops race each other to the bottom of the window. He felt her gaze on him and turned his head to meet it. She smiled at him gently, her expression hopeful for the first time in a while. Ethan smiled back.

**Author's Note:**

> Extremely short. Just some sort of scenario of these guys leaving things off in the future. I initially wanted to include Benji, but decided to just keep it these three. I feel like Luther’s more closer to Ethan and would be more likely to encourage him to retire. Also, I like to think that the team will (hopefully) get a relatively nice ending lol


End file.
